London Olympics Bill

Absolutely. We should expect that, even though it is not stated in the Bill. There will be consultation and we believe that it should include all major partners, such as the local authorities and the LGA. As the project has developed, we have seen those partners come together on issues such as planning, and I would never have believed that we could have achieved so much even before we started talking about primary legislation. There has been a fantastic demonstration of support and partnership across local authorities and political parties on planning issues. Members asked about funding. The figures have already been set out, but there were questions about over-run, which will be dealt with through a memorandum of understanding. Our work on the funding mechanism was helped by our experience of talking to people in other Olympic cities, especially Sydney. I shall never forget the person who said, ““Do not underestimate the budget. If you have to go higher, it will be seen as a failure so make sure your calculations are realistic.””